Surfing once rode the crest on Big Corona's waves

Surfside Sports store owner Paul Burnett and his wife Claudine have written a book, "Surfing Newport Beach," about the surfing history of Corona del Mar. Surfing ended there in 1936 when a jetty was built, behind him, so that boat owners could have a place to launch.MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Occupations: Paul co-owns Surfside Sports in Costa Mesa with brother Duke Edukas. Claudine is former head of the Literature and History Department of the Long Beach Public Library.

Married: Since 1969

Paul's favorite surf break: Blackies in Newport Beach

Fun fact: In August, Paul puts up photos in Surfside Sport of Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern-day surfing, to mark his birthday (Aug. 24).

About the authors

CORONA DEL MAR – On some mornings, before anyone shows up on the sands here, Paul Burnett comes down to stare at the ocean.

Most surfers would wonder what he's looking at. This stretch of Newport Beach isn't where anyone shows up with a board to take on big waves. Most days, with the exception of a rare, bombing south swell, it's flat like a lake or waves break directly on shore.

But that wasn't always the case.

During the 1920s and early '30s, surfers flocked to Corona del Mar to score waves that rivaled Hawaii's Waikiki. Famous surfers, including Duke Kahanamoku and George Freeth, were regulars at this spot just south of the Newport harbor entrance.

“To me, there will always be the spirit of those guys riding out here,” Burnett said on a recent day, looking out toward a jetty where perfect waves once rolled in.

Burnett and his wife, Claudine, for years have been researching Corona del Mar's surfing history, sifting through newspaper clippings and hunting down photos. The result is a newly released book called “Surfing Newport Beach: The Glory Days of Corona del Mar.”

Claudine Burnett, the former head of the Literature and History Department of the Long Beach Public Library, would regularly come across interesting articles about the region and make note of them. She's self-published several books on topics including haunted places around Long Beach and its aviation history. So when the folks at History Press asked her if she could put together an interesting book, she talked to her husband about all the clippings she had found about a surfing community at Corona del Mar in the 1920s and '30s. Paul Burnett, who has been surfing since 1960, agreed to help to co-publish the book.

Their research led them to believe that Kahanamoku – called the “Duke” and regarded as the father of modern day surfing – stopped here on his way to the Olympics in 1912 to take on waves. But it was an article published in 1914 detailing Duke's surfing exhibitions here that solidified the area's significance in surf history, Burnett said. It was one of the few places where the heavy boards they rode at the time – often 9- to 12-feet in length and upward of 100 pounds – could glide smoothly along the wave's face.

“They couldn't ride a beach break, their boards were too long and heavy and you needed the kind of waves that curl at the top and leave you a long slope in front – this is one of those spots,” Burnett said.

Woven into the book are stories about local surfers named Art and Gerard Vultee, friends of Duke's who would ride waves here. Freeth, credited for helping to bring surfing to the mainland, was also a regular.

A project was happening, however, that would affect the quality of surf, according to the book.

At one time, the Santa Ana River flowed into Newport Bay, and silt would deposit down the harbor entrance, creating a sandbar – perfect for creating waves. In 1922, a project to redirect the Santa Ana River away from the bay and farther north slowly cinched the sand flow to the surf spot.

“I didn't realize it ever flowed into the bay, and I didn't realize how important or responsible it was for making this a surf break,” Burnett said.

Another key event that would affect surfing in the area happened in 1925, when a big south swell brought pounding waves offshore. A fishing boat called Thelma capsized; 12 lives were saved by Kahanamoku and other surfers, but they were unable to reach five of the victims, who died at sea, Burnett said.

Two things came out of that tragedy. First, lifeguards realized the benefits of surfboards for rescues. Second, people started questioning the safety of the harbor mouth and officials started looking at ways to get rid of the waves.

Related Links

Surfside Sports store owner Paul Burnett and his wife Claudine have written a book, "Surfing Newport Beach," about the surfing history of Corona del Mar. Surfing ended there in 1936 when a jetty was built, behind him, so that boat owners could have a place to launch. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Surfside Sports store owner Paul Burnett and his wife Claudine have written a book, "Surfing Newport Beach," about the surfing history of Corona del Mar. Surfing ended there in 1936 when a jetty was built, behind him, so that boat owners could have a place to launch. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Claudine and Paul Burnett's new book, "Surfing Newport Beach," about the history of surfing in Corona del Mar. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Claudine and Paul Burnett's book, "Surfing Newport Beach," contains black and white historic images from the early days of surfing. This one from the 1930s shows where surfers rode the waves in, before a jetty was built, pictured in background of current photo. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Paul Burnett shows a 1925 photo in his new book, "Surfing Newport Beach." Three of the four surfers in the picture took part in what was called the "the great rescue of 1925." Owen Hale, Bill Herwig and Duke Kahanamoku helped save 12 out people from a capsized fishing boat in Corona del Mar. MINDY SCHAUER, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A perfect left-breaking wave along the Corona del Mar concrete jetty. PHOTO COURTESY OF SURFING HERITAGE FOUNDATION
Surfers collide as they try to take on a wave breaking off the concrete jetty in Corona del Mar. The once popular surf break no longer exists COURTESY OF SURFING HERITAGE FOUNDATION

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